Coast guard helicopter crashes in Gujarat during training, 3 dead
According to officials, the helicopter experienced technical difficulties, resulting in the crash.
An Indian Coast Guard Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) Dhruv crashed on Sunday in Gujarat's Porbandar during a routine training sortie, killing three crew members on board. The incident occurred at the Coast Guard Air Enclave in Porbandar.
The helicopter experienced technical difficulties at 12.10 pm, resulting in the crash, officials said. There were three people on board, including the two pilots. All three have been killed in the crash, reported news agency PTI.
"While two of them were declared brought dead, one was alive when brought to the hospital and died later," Kamala Baug police station's inspector Rajesh Kanmiya said.
Porbandar Superintendent of Police Bhagirathsinh Jadeja said the chopper crashed near the runway and caught fire. The blaze was later brought under control with the help of a fire tender, he said.
The three crew members onboard were brought out of the chopper and rushed to a hospital in Porbandar in a severely burnt condition, he said.
The Indian Coast Guard is investigating the incident.
The incident comes at a time when a critical safety upgrade on the military’s ALH fleet, initiated by HAL after a string of accidents last year, has been completed and the upgraded control system installed on the locally made choppers is expected to improve their airworthiness.
The Dhruv fleet, plagued by a nagging design issue, was grounded several times last year after the accidents called into question its flight safety record.
Similar horror months ago
In September, a Dhruv advanced light helicopter (ALH Mk-III) crashed into the Arabian Sea near Porbandar. In response to the incident, the Coast Guard ordered a one-time safety inspection of its ALH fleet, focusing on the flying controls and transmission system, as per an internal communication obtained by HT. The fleet has been temporarily grounded. The Coast Guard operates 16 ALHs, which are designed and manufactured by Bengaluru-based Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).
The helicopter was on a medical evacuation mission, responding to an emergency aboard a tanker, when it crashed into the sea about 15 minutes later, around 11:15 pm. The term "ditching" refers to an aircraft making an emergency landing in water.
This same helicopter had recently played a key role in rescue operations during floods in Gujarat. "The Indian Coast Guard ALH, which saved 67 lives during the recent cyclonic weather in Gujarat, was launched around 11:00 pm on September 2, 2024, for the medical evacuation of a seriously injured crew member aboard the Indian-flagged motor tanker Hari Leela, about 45 km from Porbandar, in response to a request from the vessel's master," the Coast Guard said in a statement.